Sep 25, 2010

But I Am Really Not Dead

In the past few weeks, I've been getting emails of a certain kind, from a few of my readers. The emails sound carefully phrased, as if the reader genuinely wants to ask something, but isn't sure how to ask it without coming across as intrusive or presumptuous, and is therefore picking and choosing his words delicately.

Well, here's the answer to the question. No, I am not dead, nor dying, nor ill, nor has any drastic event unfolded in my personal life. The reason I have not been blogging is just that I have not felt like blogging. In fact, I haven't felt like blogging for a long time. I haven't even experienced any withdrawal symptoms.

Work has certainly been keeping me very busy though. Right now, I am working in an environment which not only refuses to hire additional lawyers to deal with the increasing workload, but also refuses to hire replacement lawyers (to replace those who have left). So basically, a shrinking pool of manpower is taking on an expanding amount of work. Then the remaining employees grow stressed and unhappy and become more prone to quit, thus feeding the vicious cycle.

Oh well, what is new? This is not the first place where I've seen this happen. Very large organisations are like very large dinosaurs - they are strong, powerful but not necessarily very intelligent. In fact, I was only 18 years old when I got to see a very strong, powerful and stupid organisation close-up. No prizes for the right answer.

In other news:
1. My new house is still not quite ready, but I hope to be able to collect the keys sometime next month. (Please recommend a few out-of-the way places where I can buy cheap, good furniture).

2. I am still diligently swimming, currently averaging about 90 laps per week, and finally, I have taught myself to do a decent flip turn (well, decent by my own humble standards).

3. I bought myself a new classical guitar! And I am trying to grow the fingernails on my right hand, to achieve that brighter, clearer quality of sound when plucking the strings.

4. I have a new blog. But it's going to bore the hell out of you, unless you happen to be working in the same kind of job as I do (heck, even if you work in the same kind of job as I do, you might still be bored to death). Anyway, here it is - the Asian Banking Lawyer blog.

5. Next month I'm giving a talk to about 250 Literature students from six schools, about poetry and how to write it and read it. It's an event organised by CHIJ Saint Nicholas.

6. I recently met up with two Singapore filmmakers (a producer and a director) who wanted me to share the juicy details of what DPPs really do for a living. The two filmmakers are making a new film that involves crime - and the main character is a DPP.

7. Ever since I registered my daughter for Primary One (that was back in July), the Education Ministry has become aware that I haven't sent her to Kindergarten Two. Since then, every fortnight or so, someone from the Education Ministry calls up my wife to ask why. I guess that my wife and I, as parents, are now being suspected of being negligent or very poor.

8. I have now got an iPhone 4! For $50 only!! And I pay zero dollars for the monthly subscription!!
What? You were hoping that I'd give you some news about socio-political issues in Singapore? Instead of all this boring, trivial stuff about my own life? Sorry, folks. I haven't really been reading the newspapers myself.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll bite.

How did you get your iPhone4 for just $50 and no monthly subscription?

kate said...

Wah liao! I thought my $160 iphone 4 + $33 subscription was good enough to boast to everyone! Now I've nothing to boast about :(

Anonymous said...

hehehe welcome back mr wang!

Anonymous said...

and thanks for the updates. :)

Lex said...

This furniture warehouse of sorts at Sungei Kadut has some pretty good deals

http://www.ifcsingapore.com/

Alternatively, the Akira building near IMM at Jurong too.

Anonymous said...

Kate: Where did you get your iphone deal?

Teabie said...

You did know that everyone would forget wot u wrote earlier in this post, and zoom straight to that incredible iPhone deal right? Lol. That's just amazing, btw!

Anonymous said...

must be corporate plan

german bank is stupid ah??

Anonymous said...

you can get your furniture at the helping hand: http://www.thehelpinghand.org.sg/index.html

it's a social enterprise that provides training and jobs to ex-addicts. it's for a good cause and the furniture is of good quality.

Anonymous said...

Actually, reading these "boring trivial stuffs" is rather refreshing. :)

Anonymous said...

Be aware that organisations like to do this, especially in an environment where many are jobless. They adopt a take it or leave it attitude, knowing that many have huge debts, housing mortgage, car loans etc and cannot just leave their jobs but must continue to work even though they are unhappy.
The downside is that it will affect the employees' health, stressed out and die earlier. Recently we saw many such examples, 49 year old COO of Singhealth, 55 year old senior minister of state etc.
There is only a few jobs that can escape from all these stress and no prizes for guessing which jobs can allow you to earn millions yet keep you in the prime of health as you ages. In those few jobs, it will be retirement that will kill the person.
All others please be aware you need a balance between your health and wealth.
Otherwise you will simply be exchanging your health for a little bit of wealth and later, if you are lucky, have to exchange alot of wealth for a little health, with no guarantee that you will get back your health but guaranteed to deplete your wealth.
Take Care.

Ahh! said...

Please do share your iphone steal deal! Phone in its death throes and need an urgent upgrade, t.i.a.!

The said...

Well, most people CAN choose to go to an organization/company - dinosaur or not. But at 18, there is no choice.

Anonymous said...

For the iphone4, must be a corporate plan lah, what else?

shine brightly said...

think you can get cheap and good furniture at roomyrooms.

personally think the resort and asian style furniture looks great. :)